I grew up with Louck's sesame snaps as a super special - once in great while - only when we were at that special shop, treat. I love that you can get them more easily nowadays. I seriously am addicted to the new version with dark chocolate and I like the fact that they are produced in my own state. Still, I wanted to see if I could make an easy version at home. I tried a honey based recipe I saw and while the flavor was good, there was way too much honey and it turned into a hard candy that you had to suck on if you wanted to keep your teeth. After much googling and perusing of techniques and recipes, I decided a Somali recipe produced something that fit the bill. Something that would turn out light and very crunchy. I do like a little bit of the honey flavor so I added some in for mine. Sesame snaps are so super simple as far as ingredients. At their most basic, sugar and sesame seeds. The seeds are toasted for crunch and flavor. I added a pinch of salt and a bit of honey for more flavor. The trick to getting these to be really good and having that nice snap to them is to roll as thinly as possible. Some of mine in the middle were a little tall and harder to bite (still crunchy) but the edges were wonderfully snappy. Go for 1/8" thickness. My youngest, who wouldn't touch the first batch with all that honey, has come back for thirds on these crispies.
Sesame Snaps
Makes 1 sheet full
2 cups sesame seeds
¾ cup evaporated cane sugar
1-2 tbsp honey
pinch sea salt
Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat. Cook and stir the sesame seeds to toast, about 5 minutes.
When they start to turn lightly golden, check a few for crunchiness. Pour into a bowl and set aside. They will make a neat crackling sound as they cool and should be nice and crunchy.
Return the pan to the heat and gradually melt the sugar without stirring. Add it little by little as the previous layer melts. You can tilt the pan to mix a bit. Once the sugar is melted, add the salt and honey and stir to combine. If there is any unmelted sugar, the honey may cause it to lump up a bit. Just stir over the heat until it is all dissolved.
Stir in the toasted sesame seeds and mix for a minute until evenly combined.
Turn them out onto a lightly oiled surface. Foil will work, I used parchment. Cover with parchment paper and roll out as thin as possible. Work quickly because the candy will harden and no longer be pliable. Once it is at your desired thickness, and while still warm, cut/score the candy with a sharp knife.
They will break apart easily when cooled. Store in an airtight container. If you want to try the chocolate version, I just melted a couple tablespoons of mini chocolate chips with a pinch of coconut oil and drizzled on using a sandwich baggie as a piping bag.
If you want to watch a great how-to video, go here. And enjoy the music! ☺
I like this and will have to give it a try!
ReplyDeleteI have not eaten this in ages! Love anything with sesame, and this looks wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI am really excited to give this recipe a try. I found your blog just yesterday when I was looking a recipe for sesame snaps. I am really enjoying your blog, your taste in recipes is much the same as mine :)
ReplyDeleteOh I hope you like them! I tried a few recipes before this that disappointed me since I grew up on the thin, crispy kind. So glad you like what you see here. ☺
ReplyDeleteI just tried a different recipe. It had more honey and wanted me to cook it with a thermometer to 320, caramelizing stage. It said to add all of the ingredients at once. As it approached 320, smoke started coming from the pan and it does taste slightly burned. I poured the mixture onto wax paper. Now I cannot separate it from the waxed paper. This recipe looks more like what I was hoping for - Loukes Sesame Snaps. This will be my next attempt. I appreciate your description on roasting the sesame seeds. I tried to roast them prior to making the recipe I just made. They seemed to keep cooking even when taken from the heat. They scorched. Amazing. This is my first time with sesame seeds. No, I am not an avid cook so I appreciate the posts by those of you who are!
ReplyDeleteHi Debra! I do hope this one turns out for you! You can leave the honey out altogether if you like and use a full cup of sugar and they will still be like Loukes which I think just uses glucose syrup. :) If you want more visuals, check out the video that is linked at the bottom of the post. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHere are some tips for getting the crisps rolled out as thin as you want:
ReplyDelete1. Instead of waxed paper or parchment, buy two silicone baking mats, they don't even need to be oiled/greased and they release perfectly;
2. Heat up a sheet baking pan in the oven (375F) before you start cooking the seeds. Also heat up a marble rolling pin (if you have one) or heat up a capped empty wine bottle filled with hot water. Once the brittle is ready to roll out, pull the the hot baking sheet out of the oven and put on of the silicone sheets on it. Empty the seed mixture onto to this, spread out a bit with your spoon/spatula and place the second silicone sheet on top. Use the hot wine bottle as a roller; you now have heat from below and above keeping the mixture warm and this allows you plenty of time to roll it out as thin as you want. When as thin as you want, score with a butter (dull) knife to avoid cutting the silicone mat.
Alternative high protein recipe: use hulled hemp seeds instead of or in combination with sesame seeds. They need a bit more roasting, but they are high oil content as well so you have to be careful roasting to avoid burning. I roast them in a 375F oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes; This improves their taste greatly.
Here are some tips to easily create thin crisps:
ReplyDelete1. Buy two non-stick silicone baking mats to use instead of greased wax paper or parchment. You don't even have to oil them and they are easy to clean up.
2. Heat a baking sheet in the oven while you are roasting the seeds. Fill an corked empty wine bottle with hot water.
When the seed mixture is all cooked, place the silicone mat on the hot baking sheet, pour out the mixture and distribute on the sheet; then place the other silicone matt on top and roll out with the hot wine bottle (or marble rolling pin). This gives you heat on both sides of the confection and plenty of time to roll it out thinly.
3. Do not cut on the silicone sheet with a sharp knife as it can damage it. I use a dull butter knife to score the brittle or turn it onto a wooden cutting board and then score it with a sharp knife.
Alternative high protein recipe: Use hulled hemp seeds instead of or in combination with sesame seeds. The hemp seeds need a bit more roasting; I bake them at 375F for 20 minutes stirring every 5 minutes.
@ Organic - Thanks for the great tips!!
ReplyDeleteCan I use regular white sugar and/or brown sugar (combo?) For "evaporated cane sugar"?
ReplyDeleteHi Randy, it should work fine using part or all brown sugar. I might try part first, as it will end up having a darker color than with white sugar. The only thing I might be careful of with all brown sugar is scorching the sugar since it will be harder to see a color change depending on the darkness of your chosen sugar. You will end up with a more caramel flavor with brown but it should be delicious still!
ReplyDeleteI also grew up with Louck's Seaame Snaps and I am not originally from the PNW. The Snaps are not made in Washington State. They are made in Poland and imported by a company in Puyallup, WA. My grandmother came from Poland. Louk's also makes Halvah, a sesame treat I remember purchasing from food merchants on the street in Israel.
ReplyDelete